First of all, reader Deb from Phoenix is having a heart procedure today, so please say a prayer for her. We love you, Deb!

Secondly, Don managed to clear out the storage space yesterday. It’s empty! He took 2 loads to the recycling center in a neighboring town. Some of it came back home to live in the shed or the house. And some of it needs to be sorted here before we make the final decision on whether to toss or keep. All of this occurred while I was on a call with the director of the next show I’m coaching and then coaching Jim. Thank you, thank you, dear husband.

It’s now an even dozen. I’ve wanted a Ferro Doll (a customizer in Russia) since I first started collecting Blythes. When a new Ferro Doll is listed, it’s adopted within minutes. Sometimes, seconds.

They have a fierce, intense gaze that I love. I always wanted one with dark hair and dark eyebrows but then, this other girl appeared who was being put up for adoption by the owner who had only adopted her in June. I went back and forth on this one for over a month; maybe, maybe not. At one point, Kat, the young owner, decided she was bonding with her, so I encouraged her to keep her. But one day, about a week ago, Kat messaged me and asked me if I still wanted her. The price was reasonable. I pondered, and then I said yes.

To be honest, I was put off by her hair color, so I decided I could always change her scalp to a darker color. But now, after receiving her, I love it. Here she is, right out of the box:

If you look closely, you can see tiny veins in her cheeks. The level of detail is amazing.

Also, check out the detail in the coloration of the area around the eyebrows. And the eyelids, of course!

She has synthetic hair but it’s clearly been given a treatment by the customizer because it feels like silk – and it’s minty-colored. Much to my surprise, I’m love the hair and I’m going to keep it.

She was named Claire by her previous owner. She is now Harper Claire, after – you guessed it – Harper Lee. I walked around with her during most of the day yesterday (except when I was coaching, of course. That would have looked weird.)

I’ll try to get a good close-up of her face soon, so you can see the tiny little details that make her so beautiful and collectible.

This morning:

I love her. She’s a serious girl. I have a feeling she doesn’t suffer fools gladly.

I finally own a Ferro doll. If I could, I’d collect even more.

Don is quite taken with her. Never – not once – as he been anything other than encouraging about this little turn my life has taken. He’s charmed by the girls, loves it when I change their clothes and parade them in front of him. He raves about my photos of them.

How did I get this lucky?

Okay. No coaching today. No coaching until Sunday night when I watch the run-through of Jane Eyre  on stage. I’m going to rest a bit – it’s been an intense week.

Stay safe.

Happy Thursday.